St. Pete’s Shiso Crispy food truck to be featured on the Food Network

One of Tampa Bay’s favorite food trucks is hitting prime time on Food Network this July. Shiso Crispy and its owner Ronicca Whaley will be featured on the newest season of Guy’s Grocery Games, hosted by Guy Fieri, with new episodes airing every Wednesday at 9 pm, starting July 6th.

Of course, this won’t be the celebrated food truck’s first time on the show. In fact, this season’s contestants are made up entirely of previous winners, giving Whaley and her Japanese fusion eats some stiff competition. In Guy’s Grocery Games (GGG, for short), four chefs compete against each other through unique challenges in a three-round cook-off as they are required to create dishes using ingredients found in Fieri’s eclectic Flavortown Market.

With tens of thousands of dollars on the line in potential bonuses, the competition is as fierce as it is delicious (and entertaining). While contestants are embargoed from revealing results, we’d be surprised if our hometown hero doesn’t make a deep run on the five-episode tournament.

If nothing else, it promises to be a laugh, as Whaley said, “don’t miss it, I showed out with the comedy.”

Shiso Crispy makes the Bay’s best dumplings

As for the food truck itself, Shiso Crispy has quickly become a favorite throughout the area, even being voted as Tampa Bay’s #1 food truck less than a year after opening. The always creative (and often vegan-friendly) menu is celebrated for sticky rice bowls, bao buns, hand folded gyoza, and made-to-order Rangoon (lobster or vegan). Whaley also rolls out regular specialty creations for occasions both special and random.

Shiso Crispy currently has one roving truck and two permanent locations (Par Bar in St. Pete and Magnanimous Brewing in Tampa), and Whaley is also close to opening her first brick-and-mortar with a full Shiso Crispy kitchen and restaurant opening soon at an undisclosed downtown location.

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